Episode 1 – The Assassin

Prologue

They had both been drinking more than they should. But it was Kira, Kira Obresh, who started throwing insults at old Sergeant Rob, and it was Rob who drew his sword first.

Both Kira and Rob were regulars at the Sleeping Dragon Tavern. I know Kira was a thief and sometimes a prostitute but she was also a mother to seven street kids, and not all of them her own. She’s an elf of the Obresh clan, she had a quick hand and a tongue as sharp as her two daggers.

As for Rob, Rob Growler’s been a city guard for more than half of his life. Some might call him fat and ugly and smelly, some do, but he was a good man, well ,good enough. And he was minding his own business. Kira had no business calling him those things. When she had pushed him enough Rob drew his sword and, swearing, started to move across the room to arrest her.

The stranger, he was young and black haired, and yes, he was handsome, his name was Strike, he had been flirting with me at the bar. He put his hand on Rob’s shoulder to restrain him. Rob kneed him hard in the groin but Strike recovered and disarmed the sergeant before slamming him into a table.

Kira always moved quietly and quickly and could cut a purse and be away before her mark noticed it gone but Strike knew exactly what she was up to even as he watched Rob pick up a heavy chair.

A shove sent Kira reeling backwards before Strike spun to face Bob rushing at him with the chair raised above his head. Kira drew her daggers and was coming at the stranger from the opposite direction. Suddenly Strike’s sword was at her neck even as his second blade pointed at Rob. I saw Kira stumble back with blood exploding from her throat.

Rob dropped the chair and held his hands up, eyes pleading for mercy, the bastard had none, his blades scissored across the sergeant’s throat and I saw him fall into a pool of his rushing blood.
Strike calmly wiped the blood off his swords with a rag and slid them back into their sheaths on his back. Then he came to the bar, laid a gold coin in front of me and said “That should pay for the cleaning.” Then he asked for a cup of kumis.